Blackjack is one of the easiest free casino games to pick up. The aim is simple: beat the dealer’s hand without going bust. You win even money for beating the dealer, but you stand to win 3/2 for hitting a natural blackjack.

Before you start playing, it’s important to understand what the house edge is. Different online variations have different house edges. In fact, different plays can optimize your returns over the long term.

The house edge is effectively the advantage the casino has over the blackjack player. It works as a percentage for every $100 wagered. For inexperienced players making poor decisions, the house edge can be as much as 2%. That is, for every $100 the player wagers, the casino keeps $2. That may not seem like much, but it can really add up over time.

By playing optimal strategy at the highest paying casinos, you can reduce the house edge to around 0.5–1%. That means not taking Insurance, doubling down at the right times, and only hitting when the dealer shows the right up-cards.

You can play a variety of blackjack games at the best online casinos. Each comes with a unique set of rules and its own house edge. Games with side bets, such as perfect pairs, tend to carry a higher house edge.

Some of the best classic blackjack variants offer a house edge as low as 0.5%. Of course, you must steer clear of the Insurance bet wherever possible. Spanish 21, meanwhile, offers a house edge of just 0.37%. The tens are removed, but the player can make use of ‘late surrender’ and a double down rule on any two cards.

Atlantic City is another game that you can play at Michigan online casinos. The game introduced the late surrender to online casinos – a rule that allows you to let your hand go if the dealer makes blackjack.

This is the best strategy at NJ online casinos against any of the dealer’s up-cards. Statistically, in a multi-deck blackjack game, you stand better odds of hitting your picture card.

Splits are permitted in most blackjack games at PA online casinos. Eights and aces are the best hands to do this with, regardless of the dealer’s up-card. At least one of your ace has a chance of becoming a blackjack with an extra card added.

With a pair of eights, you will lose less money by splitting and hoping that one card hits a 10 and the dealer busts. By keeping your eights, you only stand to go bust by hitting on the hard 16.

The beauty of online blackjack is that you can keep a cheat sheet open in your browser while you play. The cheat sheet displays all optimal plays, depending on both your cards and the dealer’s.

Here’s a helpful cheat sheet for you to use for every situation. Key takeaways would include hitting a hard 12 against a dealer’s 2 or 3, hitting A-7 versus a 9/10/A, and doubling down on 10 when the dealer shows 9 or less.

H=Hit

S=Stand

DD=Double Down

As we’ve mentioned, it’s important to play optimal strategy to reduce the house edge. Check out our top-rated casinos and use a promo code to claim a bonus. You can use our BetMGM casino bonus code right now to claim a welcome offer that is eligible for most blackjack games.

You can adopt a staking plan when you play blackjack at West Virginia online casinos. By no means are they fool-proof, but a staking system can help you stay in control of your wins and losses.

Good For: Improving Long-Term Profits

This is a staking plan where your bets increase slowly over several losing hands. The stakes move in this sequence:

1 unit 1 unit 1 unit 4 units 8 units 16 units

The total, as you can see, is 31 units. You move down the stakes after each losing hand. For example, say you started with a $1 bet and lost. Your next bet would be $1, which also loses. Your third bet is $1. This loses, so your fourth bet would be $4.

After a win, your following bet is worth double your previous one. Another winning hand sees results in you resetting your stakes back to $1. It’s an unusual staking plan as bets increase for both wins and losses. Try the 31 System today at the best PayPal casinos.

Good for: Safe Blackjack Staking

Also known as the ‘Manhattan’, the 2-1-2 plan fluctuates your stakes after wins and losses. You start at 2 units, then reduce your stake to 1 unit following a winning hand.

If you win again, you add a unit, or move back to 2. You then add 1 unit for each subsequent win. The sequence continues until you win or lose six hands in a row. You then reset your bets back to 1 unit. The 2-1-2 is certainly one of the safer staking plans around, especially in low-edge games like blackjack.

Good For: High-Risk Wins

We’ve explored low-risk strategies in blackjack – now, let’s look at a high-risk play. The Parlay System is ideal for gamblers who want to maximize their long-term profits. The strategy does have inherent risks, but it works if you have deep pockets.

The Parlay System is a progressive staking plan where you increase your stakes after a winning hand. New stakes are linked to the size of the previous win.

For example, you bet $50 on a hand and the dealer busts. You win $50 in profit, but all $100 would be wagered on the next hand. You get dealt blackjack (paying 3/2), so you now have $250 in your stack ($100 + $150). You then wager all $250 on your next hand, and so on. After a losing hand, you move back to your original unit stake.

The Parlay System is effectively an ‘all or nothing’ plan. However, it assumes that any chips in your stack are the casino’s until you choose to cash out.

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What is the best blackjack game for house edge? Multihand Blackjack is the best blackjack variation for a low house edge. With optimal strategy, you can reduce the edge to around 0.5%. We also recommend Blackjack Switch at an online casino real money site. You can switch cards between hands to beat the dealer. This variant offers a better long-term return than classic blackjack.

Should I use a progression staking plan for blackjack? Staking plans can be good at low stakes, but always be wary of negative progression systems that may result in large losses. We always recommend you decide on a bankroll before you play blackjack and keep to it.

Should I take Insurance when playing online blackjack? No. The +200 (2/1) payout for Insurance is a poor return for a bet that carries a house edge of 7%. Compare that to the 0.5% house edge for standard blackjack play, and you can see that the Insurance bet is unwise.

Can I count cards in online blackjack? It’s difficult to count cards in online casino blackjack as the software is constantly shuffling the decks. While RNG blackjack isn’t kind to card-counters, you can try it out on live dealer blackjack games. Typically, the dealer shuffles after 4 or 5 decks, but counting is possible.